Method and means for facilitating sealing deep wells



H. C. PENDLETON.

METHOD AND MEANS FOR FACILITATING SEALING DEEP WELLS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT I, I920.

Patented 0011; IL 1921 R m m V W Harry 671 61122 WITNESS A TTORNE YS will . are telescoped one within the other.

instance, a casing of given diameter may be- 1 STATES HY C. PENDLETON, 01F PIEDMONT, CALIFORNIA.

I,393,3II.

Specification of Letters Patent.-

Patented ct. II, IQ2I Application filed Septemberl, 1920. Serial No. $07,357.

T all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY C. PENDLETON, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Piedmont, California. have invented certain new and useful Methods and Means for Facilitating Sealing Deep Wells, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to a system and means for sealing deep wells, as may be necessary to prevent the inflow of water at one or more levels in the well.

As is well known, in drilling deep wells for oil for instance, strata, of material are penetrated, some of which contain water, and if the well is extended below this water zone, it is desirable to support the casing of the well and to prevent the flow of water to the inlet of the well.

Diverse methods and means have heretofore been utilized for this purpose, with not altogether satisfactory results, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a novel, extremely simple .and inexpensive method and means for sealing the casing of the well at any levels desired during the sinking of the well. The common practice in sinking wells is to lower connected sections of metallic casings as the drilling proceeds, and, according to the conditions, casing strings of different diamiater sunk to a level at which there is encountered a stratum of water, and before the cas ing is lowered beyond that zone, it is desirable to seal the bore of the well to prevent the inflow of the water into the finished well, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a method and means for effecting a good seal with minimum requirement of material, time and labor.

A further object of the invention is to provide for the sealing of the well by the deposit of a charge of cementitious material. at the water-bearing strata and at the contiguous lower end of the well casing and to provide a good aggregate body to be embedded in the cement. It is, in this connection, an object of the invention to provide means for carrying down a charge of cementitious material that can be wholly deposited at the desired zone without loss or waste of the material in its descent into the well, and, further,'to rovide means for carryin the material, w ich, also, is capable of sing disrupted, and form a ood a re ate u on which the cement may collec t an l forrli a sol d. concrete mass when hardened, and wh ch embeds the contiguous end of the casing, so that in the continued boring of the Well the tools proceed through this cement seal, which excludes the inflow of water.

It is another object of the invention to provide a contalner in the form of a shell of frang ble material capable of being readlly dlsrupted into fragments of suitable size to form a good aggregate for the released concrete charge that may be conveyed into the desired zone in the well by the frangible container. In this connect1on, 1t 1s desirable to provide for the proper gulding of the frangible container, or shell, through the well hole to prevent premature fracture of the shell and a loss of its cement charge, and, again, it is an object of the lnventlon to provide means for substantially taking the load from the frangible shell to reduce the liability of fracture of the shell and loss of the charge.

T heinvention possesses other objects and features of advantage, some of which, with the foregoing, will be made manifest in the following description of the preferred form of the invention which is illustrated in the drawings accompanying and forming part of the specification. It is to be understood that it is not intended to limit the invention to the embodiment shown by the said drawlngs and description, as variations may be adopted within the scope of the invention as set forth in" the claims.

In the drawing, Figure l is a diagrammatic vlew showing a portion of a deep well in which the seal is produced by the present method and means at the water-bearing stratum. 1

Fig. 2 is a side elevation and partial section of a container charged with cement ready for use in a well.

Fig. 3 shows a fragment of a form of the container in which it comprises a series of longitudinal sections bound togther.

Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view of the upper end of one of the containers showing the bail structure and a lowering apparatus attached thereto.

Fig. 5 is a detail view of the lower or leading end of a container provided with a centering ide.

Fig. 6 is a detail view of a portion of one of the straps or members forming a part of the bail structure.

he present method and means in its preferred embodiment for sealin a deep well, consists in the utilization of aucket or container of any given or desired length and diameter which is capable of contamin a charge of cement either wet or dry, so t at the bucket and charge can be lowered bodily into a well to a given zone or level, at which the cement is released from the bucket or container to set and form an effective dan'i, preventing the inflow of water into the well casing, and, also, embedding the contiguous end of the casing.

Particularly, the present invention involves a bucket or container made of frangible material of any suitable nature, as, for instance, the bucket may be made of a shell of concrete or .of fire clay, etc. Preferabl the material of the container is such as wil form a good aggregate when the container is disrupted into fragments in its given position in the well, and to secure fragments of desired or suitable size the container shell is weakened along suitable lines to form preferably small fragments, which the released cement charge will effectuallyembed and bind upon after the shell is destroyed. Again, the shell is provided with a bail structure designed to carry substantially all of the load to relieve the strain from the frangible shell, and, also, a guidin device is provided on the entering or lea mg end of the container so as to protect it against destructive contact with the contiguous well hole surface.

The method, therefore, involves the lowering of a container of any suitable length and diameter and which may be of one piece or sectional structure, such contain comprising a shell 2 made of frangible material, having weakened portions as at the grooves 3, extending longitudinally and circumferentially about the shell to divide it into numerous small block-like portions 4 of such size as will form a good aggre ate for cement. In Fig. 3, the shell is il ustrated as comprising longitudinal sections 2 of semi-cylindrical form, having meeting bottom ends or transverse portions 2; the sec-1 tions 2 lending to the ready handling and transportation of the shell structure from the point of manufacture to a given'well at which the sections may be assembled to form a complete container when bound or otherwise suitably secured, as by bindin 5.

Such a container is ada ted to be lowered bodily into the well, as in which there is arranged the casing C, the bottom end of which is shown as terminatin adjacent a water-bearing stratum S, at w ich it is desired to erect a dam or seal D of such proportions as to prevent the entry of the water in a stratum S into the hole of the well after the latter has been completed. By the present method such a dam B is constructed by lowering the container 2 by a suitable up aratus, as the rope R, having any suita le form of releasing hook H that is attached to a bail-formin structure 6. The container, before it is lowered into the well, is charged with a batch of cement 7, either wet-or dry, after which the whole is lowered into the well to the stratum S where the shell is released from the lowering a aratus R, which may be retracted, or to w ich may be connected a hammering or ramming device not shown, whereby the frangible shell 2 may be uite completely disrupted to produce small lragments, as the block sections 4, which will be thoroughl embedded by the cement charge 7 as it is re eased from t e destroyed container 2.

Because of the frangibility of the container, the bail structure 6, to which the lowering apparatus is connected, is preferably of such design as to carry the weight, or most of the weight, and thus relieve the container 2 of the strains. For instance. the bail structure may consist of suitably arranged band or strap-like portions 6' extending lon 'tudinally of the shell of the container. he band pieces 6 of the bail may be weakened at suitable zones 6" to facilitate the breaking up of the band pieces into desirable fragments to be effect ually embedded in the cement.

To protect the frangible shell from premature destruction orfracture and the loss of the cement charge therein, the leading end of the container is preferably provided with a shoe or centering device of any suitable construction, such, for instance, as a set of radiall divergent arms 8 attached to the lower end of the container, the ends of the arms extending sufiiciently beyond the circumference of the container to approach the surface of the casing C and thus keep the shell from contact with the casing.

From the above it will be seen that the charged container can be lowered into .the water stratum S below the lower end of the casing C and there deposited by the lowering apparatus, after which a suitable ram or hammer can be lowered through the casing to destroy the container 2 and release the cement 7, which will spread in all directions, and will, therefore, rise also in the well hole and circumferentially embed the outer surface of the lower end of the casing C. After the cement has set, the drillin is then continued; the tool passing throug the hardened dam at a point below the zone of the water stratum S, the water, therefore, being barred from flowing into the well hole or casing.

What is claimed is:

1. The steps, in a method for sealing deep eeann of cement, into a well, in a stone like container which can be disrupted into fragments to form aggregate,.and then reducing the container to fragments to be embedded in the cement charge.

3. The method=for sealing a deep well against water, w'hich consists of utilizin a container made of material adapted to isrupt into fragments serviceable 'as a good aggregate, lowering the container charged with cement into the well, and thendisruptfit - discharged and embeds the fragments.

ing the container so that the contents are released and embed the fragments.

a. The system for sealing a deep; well against water, which consists in moldin a container Having the property of disruptmg into predetermined fragmentsv forming a good aggregate for cement; lowering it, charged with cement, into a well; and then disrupting it so that the cement is dischargfd and embeds the fragments.

5. he system for sealing a dee well against water,which consists in utilizing a container of cementitious material that will form a good aggregate'for cement; lowering it, charged with cement, into a well; and then disrupting it so that the cement is 6. The system for sealing a deep against water, which consists in utilizing a container having a weakened shell of frantill gible material that will form a good ag-- gregate for cement; lowering it, chargedwith cement, into a well, and then disruptingit so thatthe cement is discharged and embeds thefragments.

7. Means for sealing a dee well against water, comprising a fragile container, charged with cement, adaptedto be lowered into a well and then disrupted to be embedded in the cement.

8. Means for facilitating sealing a well against water, comprising a'franglble' container divided into small. blocks adapted to be lowered, charged with cement, into the well and then disru ted.

9. Means for facilitating sealin a'Well against water, comprising a frangib e monolithic container of material forming a good well lift

11. Means for facilitating sealing a well against water, comprising a frangible container adapted to be lowered, charged With cement, mto the well and then disrupted, the container having on its leading end'a centering device to guide its movement clear of the well hole surface to prevent premature fracture ofthe shell.

12, Means for facilitating the sealing of a deep well against water, comprising a frangible container to be lowered, charged with cement, into the Well, and a bail structure combined with the container so as to carry the load and relieve the shell of the weight.

13. Means for facilitating the sealing of a dee well against water, comprising a frangi le' container to be lowered, charged with cement, into the well, and a bail structure combined with the container so as to carry the load and relieve the shell of the weight; the said bail formed of strip-like parts weakened to be broken into fragments to be embedded in the-concrete when the shell is disrupted in the well.

14. Means for facilitating sealing a well against water, comprising a frangible con-" tainer adapted to be lowered, char ed withv 17. A device for depositing cementitious material at a predetermined level in a deep well, comprismg a frangible container of material which will form a bond with the cementitious material.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand.

HARRY C. PENDLETON. 

